Related papers: A Universal Tachyon in Nearly No-scale de Sitter C…
We discuss the role of Minkowski 3-forms in flux string vacua. In these vacua all internal closed string fluxes are in one to one correspondence with quantized Minkowski 4-forms. By performing a dimensional reduction of the $D=10$ Type II…
We study the large volume limit of the scalar potential in Calabi-Yau flux compactifications of type IIB string theory. Under general circumstances there exists a limit in which the potential approaches zero from below, with an associated…
We study quintessence-driven, spatially flat, expanding FRW cosmologies that arise naturally from string theory formulated in a supercritical number of spacetime dimensions. The tree-level potential of the string theory produces an equation…
We advance the study of pure de Sitter supergravity by introducing a finite formulation of unimodular supergravity via the super-St\"uckelberg mechanism. Building on previous works, we construct a complete four-dimensional action of…
We consider ${\cal N}=4$ conformal supergravity with an arbitrary holomorphic function of the complex scalar $S$ which parametrizes the $SU(1,1)/U(1)$ coset. Assuming non-vanishings vevs for $S$ and the scalars in a symmetric matrix…
Finding string backgrounds with de Sitter spacetime, where all approximations and corrections are controlled, is an open problem. We revisit the search for de Sitter solutions in the classical regime for specific type IIB supergravity…
The possible existence of (meta-) stable de Sitter vacua in string theory is of fundamental importance. So far, there are no fully stable solutions where all effects are under perturbative control. In this paper we investigate the presence…
Studying the critical scalar theory in four dimensional Euclidean space with the potential term $-g\phi^4$ we show that the theory can not be analytically continued through g=0 from g<0 region to g>0 region. For g>0 although energy is not…
$R+R^2$ Supergravity is known to be equivalent to standard Supergravity coupled to two chiral supermultiples with a no-scale K\"ahler potential. Within this framework, that can accomodate vanishing vacuum energy and spontaneous…
We propose that under certain conditions the universal open string tachyon can drive topological inflation in moduli stabilised frameworks. Namely, the presence of electric field in the world volume of the D-brane can slow down its decay…
In this note we investigate whether the new ekpyrotic scenario can be embedded into ten-dimensional supergravity. We use that the scalar potential obtained from flux compactifications of type II supergravity with sources has a universal…
Consistent uplifting of AdS vacua in string theory often requires extra light degrees of freedom in addition to those of a (Kaehler) modulus. Here we consider the possibility that de Sitter and Minkowski vacua arise due to hidden sector…
We classify solutions of 10d type IIA/B supergravities with orientifolds, on a 4d maximally symmetric spacetime times a 6d group manifold. We then look for new solutions in previously unexplored solution classes, and find some: (anti-) de…
We consider classical type II supergravity with arbitrary fluxes, Dirichlet branes and orientifold planes and prove that a four-dimensional compactification of this theory can never correspond to a metastable de Sitter state.
Several recent works have claimed that the Weak Gravity Conjecture (WGC) excludes super-Planckian displacements of axion fields, and hence large-field axion inflation, in the absence of monodromy. We argue that in theories with $N\gg1$…
We study soliton solutions in scalar field theory with a variety of unbounded potentials. A subset of these potentials have Gaussian lump solutions and their fluctuation spectrum is governed by the harmonic oscillator problem. These lumps…
We study the spacetime decay to nothing in string theory and M-theory. First we recall a nonsupersymmetric version of heterotic M-theory, in which bubbles of nothing -- connecting the two E_8 boundaries by a throat -- are expected to be…
We find extrema of the potential of matter couplings to N=2 supergravity that define de Sitter vacua and no tachyonic modes. There are three essential ingredients in our construction: namely non-abelian non-compact gaugings, de Roo-Wagemans…
In this work, we propose a string-inspired two fields inflation model to address the fine-tuning problem that the standard inflation model suffers. The fast-rolling tachyon $\mathcal{T}$ originated from the D-brane and anti-D-brane pair…
We study compactifications of $D$-dimensional de Sitter space with a $q$-form flux down to $D-Nq$ dimensions. We show that for $(N-1)(q-1)\geq 2$ there are double-exponentially or even infinitely many compact de Sitter vacua, and that their…